The Stream, the Mountain, the Flame and the Breeze
by Writes With Fire In Her Heart
Summary: This is a series of drabbles about the GAang once Zuko and Iroh join the rest. Angst, romance, comedy... the series has them all! Rated T for some sexual situations and descriptions of pain
1. Introduction

_The Stream, the Mountain, _

_The Flame and the Breeze_

_By: Lunar Eclipse_

Hi everyone! Here are some drabbles and short stories, some of them romantic, others just plain hilarious, some full of grief. Originally, the title was "The Drabbles of the Sun and the Moon", but I decided to expand the title to include all the elements. Any pairings will be based on Zutara, and occasionally Taang, but the non-romantic ones will involve the other characters. The individual scenarios show different events that happen along the road to the GAang (including Zuko and Iroh, who have joined them after the season finale). It turned out that Zuko had seen the hopelessness of the situation in the crystal caverns and pretended to side with Azula, but then busted Iroh out of jail, explained his story to Katara, and joined the group (see my other story, "A Change of Paths at the Crossroads of Destiny"). Some of the drabbles might be considered short stories, but whatever; I still call them drabbles. Remember, if you don't like it, don't read it. Furthermore, kindly watch out my sarcasm and dry sense of humor, constantly-appearing amidst the various introductions and disclaimers. Wait, why the hell are you reading this instead of my gorgeous creations! READ, YOU DOGS!!!

Disclaimer: "As the world probably knows by now, I own Avatar the Last Airbender, Zuko, its characters, Zuko, the storyline, Zuko, the settings, Zuko, and everything else associated with the show. And Zuko"

This is what I would probably write if I _did _own Avatar. I love Toph's comment about her spotting the submerged Spirit Library while riding on Appa in "The Library"…

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_Water gives you love and care. Earth gives you strength and will. Fire gives you force and passion. Air gives you peace and freedom. Opposites attract. A stream will heal the flame, previously misunderstood, untrusting, frightened, and angry. The flame will fill the stream with love, with energy, with passion, with life. The mountain will support the breeze; give it a grip on reality and a stable foundation on which to rest upon. The breeze will give the mountain guidance, laughter, he will make her carefree. The cycle is complete._


	2. An Understanding

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_An Understanding_

So, here's my first drabble. First, Sokka is reading from Katara's diary, and then he has a little moment with Zuko… It's kind of sad, and talks about some of the reasons why Zuko is the way he is, and involves Sokka accepting the banished Prince. Have some Kleenexes ready (no, the company didn't pay for advertisement!). The drabble's kind of bitter-sweet… and nice. It has some guy-to-guy bonding; sworn enemies becoming allies.

Disclaimer: Since this is my first disclaimer, I will refrain from burdening you all with any of my sarcasm: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Don't get used to this, though. The rest of my disclaimers will get… umm… "creative".

"_He was never a child. Aang was always a kid, and would probably always be one at heart, despite his difficult life. Sokka. Well, he was the comic relief, and often immature, but he was very supportive when we needed him to be so, and took courage and the "code of the warrior" very seriously. I guess he was a normal teenage boy. Me, I was a care-free youngster once, but was forced to grow up quickly, to take care of my village and brother. Toph was always the same; pretty mature for her age, always sarcastic, a tomboy, stubborn, sensitive… she was unique. "_

"_But that quiet, thoughtful young man never experienced the pure, unbridled joy of freedom, of a childhood where he could express himself with no worries, where he could indulge himself in the sweet love of his friend and family, and give it in return. Zuko always had to keep himself in check, use impeccable manners, and show no emotion, no fear. He always had to push himself to do better, work harder, and endure more pain and grief. The only love he had was torn away from him before it could sink in. Then, at the peak of his life, he was scarred by his own father, was branded as weak, a failure, then stripped of everything he had in his life"_

"_Then I met him truly for the first time, when we were wrapped in icy air and surrounded by crystal. He showed a small part of himself to me. Not much, but still a little. He revealed a part of the stubborn, proud, passionate young man that never could give up hope. Then, I realized he was not evil. I was ashamed at not having looked at him on a deeper level, past the cold, unfeeling mask that he previously hid behind. He was a deep, complex person, with one of the most difficult lives I had ever encountered. He had been punished for every scrap of kindness and compassion he had ever shown, taunted when he worked harder than anyone else, then burned, disgraced and exiled when he tried to prevent a cruel killing."_

"_And here I was, expecting him to embrace with glee any opportunity to make the world a better place, by throwing away his last hopes of regaining his honor, his birthright, his life, and despite all the pain he had suffered every time he tried to do something of the kind. And of course, being Zuko, he did as I expected. He turned his back on his potentially prefect future. That quiet, thoughtful young man never experienced the pure, unbridled joy of freedom, until he listened to his heart, until yesterday. He turned to face a simple life full of difficulties and constant struggle, yet with freedom, love, and peace… When he made that choice… that was the day I accepted the fact that I loved him. I can only hope that the others will accept him and learn to look beyond his troubled past, and see the real person within, the person that had before been buried under a mound of grief, of humiliation, of pain, and of disgrace."_

"_Please, let them see the truth."_

Sokka lifted his eyes from Katara's diary and looked up at the young firebender, sitting under the pale moonlight with his legs crossed in front of the campfire with his eyes closed and meditating. His face was not contorted in any emotion. He was completely calm. Soothed by the flames that burned in front of him, and in his soul. Sokka approached him, and sat down next to him, looking at the beautiful, dancing blaze, and finally understanding his opposite element. Sokka then did something he never thought he would do, that he had sworn on refraining from the day that he first talked to Zuko, the day when he came to their village. He whispered "I'm sorry" to his former enemy.

Zuko didn't answer. Sokka looked up from the fire and glanced at the prince. A small smile had formed on Zuko's lips. A single tear rolled down the unmarked side of his face.

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	3. Balancing

_Balancing_

So. Hi. This is the first fanfic I've written that doesn't have Zuko in it. As you can tell, I am a Zuko-obsessed maniac, so cut me some slack with the writing here, okay? It's pure sweetness. The whole angst-and-suffering thing is more Sokka-Yue/Suki and Zutara.

Disclaimer: Why are you even reading this? How many times do I need to bash into your thick, senseless skulls that I do NOT own Avatar: the Last Airbender? If you have an inkling of intelligence, you would not need to read this! On the other hand, you might simply be here to see my sense of humor. Sorry if you're disappointed or insulted, but you just don't barge in on me while I'm practicing my insulting and dissing skills. Moving on…

Toph was never so afraid in her whole life. She had no idea what she was doing, never before had she felt so lost and helpless. She went ahead and volunteered to go and bring back a large supply of sacred water form the Spirit Oasis with Aang. The war against the Fire Nation was going relatively well, thanks to the recapture of Ba Sing Se and their sturdy alliance with Prince Zuko, but a large number of soldiers were dying because of serious wounds. The dozens of waterbending women that had volunteered to leave the North Pole were stationed throughout various war camps and army centers across the world. They were skilled at healing, but even they couldn't work miracles if a soldier was damaged beyond repair. The gang had sent a number of letters to the North Pole with requests to transport a large amount of sacred water. The Water Tribes agreed, and here were Toph, Aang and Appa, ready to haul an enormous amount of magic liquid across the globe. Lucky them.

Toph had fought against herself for a while during the trip, but eventually gave in to the truth; the only reason she volunteered to go with Aang to the North Pole was that she could travel with him alone. It was really nice, and she got to know him even better than before. At that particular moment, however, she was bitterly regretting her decision. She had never stopped to think about the fact that the whole city was made completely out of ice. She could not sense a single particle of earth underground for miles and miles. The only thing she could feel was the bitter cold. The temperature was so low, that she had reluctantly agreed to wear shoes during her stay.

Now, here she was, in the suburbs of the city, walking on a slippery bridge made completely out of ice. She had decided to go exploring, and ended up in the most remote part of town, on a bridge that was without handlebars and about a foot across. It was also very steep and slippery. Because of the lack of earth in the damn city, she was now stuck in the middle of this gods-cursed bridge, cold and frightened, and completely out of touch with her surroundings. The icy air held no smells, all the cold and smooth surfaced felt the same, and she could not use her bending. Ice really sucks.

"Toph?" Toph cringed. The last thing she needed right now was for Twinkletoes to find her here, trapped in a ridiculous position.

"Hi, Aang." she replied reluctantly.

"What are you doing here?" Great. Now what? The humiliated earthbender decided that there was nothing she could do, and might as well get this over with. If he laughed at her, she'll hit him with the largest possible boulder when they get back home.

"I'm stuck. I can't feel the earth and I'll fall off this stupid bridge if I move." Glad that's over with, she thought. Then, she braced herself for the upcoming teasing and laughter. It never came.

Instead, she felt Aang's arms wrap themselves around her from behind and his hands grab hold her small, cold ones. Toph gasped, and felt heat creeping into her cheeks. She was pressed against his body. How did he stay so warm in this weather? she thought vaguely. It must be the firebending inside of him.

He started walking behind her, guiding her arms as they balanced on the tiny bridge. This was interesting, Toph thought. The air was completely still, filled with silence. There were only the sounds of their footsteps on the ice, the lapping of the waves in the canal, and the sounds of their intermingling heartbeats. Toph smiled dreamily. Every now and then, it was nice to fall back and let someone else control her.

Told you; it was complete sugar and fluff

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	4. Cooking

_Cooking_

Sokka, Toph, Iroh and Aang were rolling around on the ground in hysterics. Zuko, firebending, hot-tempered, depressed and angry, subconsciously macho Zuko was actually _cooking. _He had offered to help Katara in making dinner that night. Much to the delight of everyone lese, Katara actually accepted, and now they were witnessing them debating how much salt to add to the kanga-deer meat.

"Look" Katara stated firmly "We sautéed the salad with vinegar, which makes it bitter and sour. We don't need to add any salt to the meat!"

"Yes we do!" Zuko argued stubbornly "The neutrality of the wheat bread will cancel out the sharp flavor of the salad. Besides, there's also the grilled fish. That has no tang to it whatsoever! Unless we squeeze out some lemons on it to make the taste interesting…"

Katara shook her head "No way! The lemon will add up to the vinegar and make the whole meal sour! I don't mind adding some spices to the fish, though..."

They finally reached an agreement. Zuko grabbed the nearest chili pepper and started expertly dicing it into small pieces while Katara gently rubbed lemon juice into the cooked fish.

The Gaang stopped giggling long enough to notice the delicious smells that were coming form the fire. The two teen had set up a little camp around the fire, with vegetables, fish and meat lying in neat rows on cloths spread over the ground, stone cutting boards and metal bowls lying around, and two knives working away furiously. Gathering around, they saw a feast being prepared before their staving eyes.

Glancing at Sokka, Aang stifled a giggle as he noticed that the warrior's eyes were the size of dinner-plates and he was drooling absent-mindedly at all the food in front of him.

Sokka couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed a piece of the kanga-deer meat and ran off towards the forest.

"Hey!" Zuko yelled at him, tearing off his flour-stained apron "I was going to marinate that!"

Sprinting after him, Zuko threw the kitchen knife right above the hand that Sokka was using to carry the stolen food. The knife neatly ran though the stake and pinned it to the tree right behind it. Sokka skidded to a stop and turned back, but not before Zuko retrieved the meat and hurried back to Katara.

Sokka stalked back to the temporary kitchen "Show-off." He grumbled at a smirking Zuko. Katara started scolding her brother "Those hands had better be washed! And Zuko is NOT a show-off! If you weren't sleeping all the time or being lazy, you could learn to prepare food as well as that! Instead, you dump all the cooking duties on me! Thank the gods that we finally have someone who knows how to grill a fish without turning it all into charcoal!

Zuko blushed, looking confused because of all the compliments. He looks cute when he's flustered, Katara thought vaguely as she tossed the frying pan. Maybe I should bewilder him more often. It sounds kind of fun… She leaned over to smell the delicious, sharp perfumes rising from the cooking meat. She started sprinkling some pepper over it, but a large, warm, callused hand grabbed her. Or maybe I should just cook with him ore often, she thought smugly as he unknowingly kept on holding her hand while explaining the rudiments of the fine culinary art.


	5. Eye of the Tiger

_Eye of the Tiger_

I got tired of people writing from Zuko's point of view about how _perfect _Katara is blah, blah, blah… It's time someone appreciated Zuko! This is a fragment from a novel that I'm writing, "A Change of Paths at the Crossroads of Destiny" I am Kiki. Hear me roar. FEEAAR MEE!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Why, look at that! No ironic remarks anywhere! The world is filled with miracles… Wait, I ruined the sarcastic-less atmosphere when I wrote that last sentence, didn't I? Hmph… Deal with it!

The rising sun illuminating her curious face, Katara peered between the bushes. For the past few weeks that Zuko and Uncle Iroh had been traveling with the Gaang (as Sokka kept on calling it), Zuko was always the first to rise. The group didn't have any form of timepiece with them, but Katara would estimate that he rose at about five o'clock every day. She knew all of this because sometimes she woke up because of the noise, and saw just in time that the young firebender stalked off to a nearby clearing. Katara was always curious about what Zuko did, so she decided one day to follow him. The young, attractive waterbender peered into the clearing and saw Zuko sitting, shirtless but clad in loose fighting pants and shin-high boots, in the lotus position in the middle of the field and meditating. Katara blushed at the sight of his exposed torso. She knew that she wasn't supposed to be here; after all, why else would Zuko wake up so early and go to this little secret spot every day? After Katara observed him for a few seconds, Zuko got up and took a solid stance in front of the single tree that was in the centre of the clearing. It was small, about the size of an about man, and looked strangely human, with a stubby knob where the head was supposed to be and two branches sticking out forward, looking like a pair of arms. Zuko prepared to spar with the "enemy".

The firebending prince pushed himself off from the ground with his right foot and thrust upwards in a spinning kick, turning inwards on his left foot while his leg slammed into the trunk at about head level. If there an enemy was actually standing there, his head would have been crushed by the upcoming blow. Without pause, as soon as his foot came down, Zuko pushed off again, turning in the same direction, but this time pivoting on his right foot and bringing his leg, slightly lowered and curved, towards the trunk at the waist level; this kick would have knocked the wind out of any opponent. Katara watched, fascinated as the prince beat up the tree using a variety of techniques in hand-to-hand combat, spinning and roundhouse kicks like the ones at the beginning, pulls and twists, jabs with his arms, pinches at areas where, supposedly, the chi could be blocked, and a variety of other complex moves.

Then, he moved away from the small tree to a more secluded area and he started firebending. Katara could not look away as she watched the well-built teen dancing with the fire in from to the rising sun. His reflexes were unbelievably fast, and the way he moved, his limbs trailing flames… he seemed to be perfectly synchronized with his element. Katara never noticed before how strong he was. His shoulders were very broad for someone his age, his upper torso well defined, his abdominal muscles perfectly toned, and his biceps beyond compare to those of most teenagers she saw. However, despite his strength, he never seemed to be muscular in a bulky, coarse kind of way. He was compact, lean, and had the grace, smoothness and power of a feline. Katara shook herself, and realized what kind of thoughts she's been thinking for the past fifteen minutes. Of course he was muscular! He was a firebender and was training intensively, and fighting nonstop for many years! Now, stop thinking about him this way, she ordered herself. And she did, for a while. She left the clearing and crawled back into her sleeping bag, forcing her mind to clear itself of him. Then, her mind wandered, and she started remembering the bright, powerful flames that bloomed from his body.

So… that's it! Don't forget to review (how could you not remember, with all of my imaginative and strangely realistic threats). Also, I'm thinking of making the next one a Taang. Tell me if you don't want it, or else I will continue writing it.

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	6. Fire Can Heal Too

_Fire Can Heal Too_

Greetings, my loyal fans. I present to the Zutara-obsessed world a short drabble in which, in contrast to how waterbending heals the body, firebending heals the mind. Hey… who says that Katara is the one that gets to do all the "caring about other people" around here? No, I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender. I know, how sad…

Katara was crying. She didn't know why, she just was. All the pressure concerning teaching Aang waterbending, plus the added stress of everyone talking all the time about her and Zuko's newfound relationship has finally caught up with her. So, here she was, feeling sorry for herself in the middle of the night while everyone was asleep at camp. Or so she thought.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Only Zuko had that strong, hot touch that sent strange shivers of pleasure up her spine. Katara smiled to herself, and waited to see what came next. Then, she felt heat spread from his palms out. Immediately, Katara felt her body relax and warm up. She felt calm, happy, blissful… she had no idea that firebending could induce such delight. Smiling dreamily, Katara automatically wiped her long-dried tears away, and turned to Zuko. The caring look in his eyes and his small smile did all the talking for him.

Awwww! Ain't that sweet? Despite the fact that this is my shortest drabble, the muse seems to be obsessed with paying me visits lately. Remember the bears, the Macarena and the scarring… REVIEW!

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	7. Major Misinterpert

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_Major Misinterpret_

This drabble/short story is a romance marinated in angst. You know, there's a reason why the old novels with damsels in distress were so popular. This one is kind of graphic… just warning you. _Blushes and averts her eyes. She has SO much modesty…_

Disclaimer: If you own Avatar; the Last Airbender, I will be happy to trade you my giant wooden pencil for it… who knows, you might break a world record!

I had no idea how I got in this situation. I woke up earlier than usual, and since everyone else was asleep (except for Zuko; he had probably gone off to practice somewhere). I decided to practice my waterbending at a small lake I found the previous evening. I fought nonstop for an hour, and was heading towards camp, looking forward to resting my tired arms. One minute, I was walking through the forest, exhausted. The next, a greasy, cold, callused hand roughly grabbed my arm and jerked me back. I was scared; no one I knew had this touch. Toph's hand was small, rough and confident. Aang's was smooth and graceful. Sokka's hand was always clad in some fingerless gloves and was precise. Zuko's was large, warm, strong, yet gentle…

I was roughly shoved against a tree, its tough bark scratching my body. A pair of strong arms started to bind me against the trunk. I desperately felt around for some water, anywhere. It was hopeless. The air was dry, and I was far away from the lake I had practiced at. I was tired, and my arms were tied behind me, around that cursed tree. I looked at my captives; there were a dozen bulky, leering men in dark green clothes. Each were armed with some rusty daggers or other forms of small weaponry. Suddenly, I started to panic; the situation was the worst possible. I was alone, defenseless, outnumbered, and no one knew where I was.

Opening my mouth, I started to scream for help. It was useless; one of the men clamped his hand over my mouth and reached for a dirty cloth to gag me with. I recognized the same unpleasant touch that grabbed me before. The man was unshaven, and had scraggly brown hair, and was eying me up and down. An involuntary shudder passed trough my body; I didn't know what these men were going to do with me.

The man I spoke about before (he was apparently the leader) chuckled and crooned into my ear "Well, well, well… looks like we got ourselves a young, pretty lady to have some fun with. Looks very tasty... and unspoiled too. Though you can never tell with these wenches. Only one way to make sure, isn't there?"

The rest of the men roared with laughter, and started to sweat from excitement. I wiggled around under the ropes, trying desperately to slip out of their grasp or to loosen my bindings, but to no avail. One of the others undid my tunic and it fell to the ground. He taunted "Don't struggle so much. If you won't fight, you just might enjoy this as much as we will! Right, boys?" The others roared their approval. I could feel a tear slipping down my cheek, and was instantly ashamed at showing weakness. No matter what they did, I wouldn't give away! I must stay strong!

These thoughts were instantly forgotten as they tore my gag away and a rough, prickly mouth slammed into mine and started sucking greedily. I couldn't think straight, the only thing that flashed through my mind was disgust and horror. I was so afraid… I knew what was about to happen. Nothing could stop it now. The men put the gag back on and undid my underclothes and every shield that was between me and them fell to the ground. I was completely naked, and shivering in the cold, and with sheer terror. The men were no longer laughing now, but were looking at me with pure lust written all over their ugly faces. Moaning, they started to undo their belts. I closed my eyes and waited.

They never came, there were only the sound of groaning and yelling. I decided to slide down along the tree, so that my ankles covered my intimates and my knees shielded my chest. I opened my eyes, and saw a few of the thugs lying on the ground, blood gushing out of them. There was Zuko, wielding his twin broadswords and firebending with them, fighting my attackers. There was pure hatred written all over his face; it was such an intense expression that it scared me. Zuko moved with such speed that he was a scarlet blur in the air, fast and accurate like lightening. He was without mercy, seeking to defeat by any means possible, even killing. Soon, all the men were lying on the floor, dead or wounded and unconscious. There was only one of them left: the leader. Zuko seized him by the collar and lifted him with one arm, slamming him against a nearby tree.

His eyes were blazing as he hissed "You bastards… have you no decency, no sense of honor? How dare you attack a young, defenseless woman, and not only harm her, but try to rape her as well? A woman's body belongs to herself and to herself only! There is enough grief and hatred in this world with this accursed war going on let alone others adding their share to it! I would have killed you slowly and painfully, but you don't deserve the relief of death! Instead, I shall curse you at your fall… may the gods deal with you and make you feel every tear you induced, every blow you struck!"

With these words, Zuko drew his sword through the stomach of the cursed one, and threw him to the ground. He turned to face me, with a worried and caring expression. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Aang, Toph, Iroh and Sokka came in. My brother looked from me, tied naked to a tree, to Zuko, standing shirtless in front of me. He came to an incorrect conclusion and yelled at Zuko "WHAT THE $&# HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SISTER?!", then threw his boomerang at the back of Zuko's head. He slumped over, unconscious.

"SOKKA!" I screamed at him "What are you doing? Zuko… he just saved my life!" Looking dejected, Sokka looked around and saw Zuko's bloody swords and the score of burned and bleeding men lying on the ground. A look or realization came over his face, and he blushed "Oh." He took of his short tunic and offered it to me, then looked away. It seemed that the men that attacked me had torn my clothing up beyond repair. While everyone had their back turned, I slipped into the garment. The material was rough, and the tunic was meant to be worn with pants, but it was long enough that it covered the tops of my thighs; it looked like an extremely short dress.

Aang and Toph were both very worried. They kept on asking so many questions and making comments like "Are you okay?" "Did they get a chance to do anything to you?" "I'm so glad Zuko saved you!" "Good thing Toph could sense where you were!" "Do you want anything else to wear?" "Do you need to lie down?" "Are you SURE you're okay?" I just waved away their words and asked them

"Toph, Aang, could one of you please carry Zuko back to camp? And I kind of need to lie down for a while." Both of them instantly stopped talking. Toph lifted a large rectangle of the portion of earth on which Zuko was lying, and made it float in front of her. Aang stood in front of me, and started bending. Immediately, I could feel the air around me becoming lighter, and it became easier to walk. We went back to camp this way. Sokka was strangely quiet the whole time, and Iroh was just worried and let me lean on him while we walked back.

I lay down in one of the sleeping bags, and then fell asleep immediately. When I woke up, it was at about midday. Everyone else up and about and were going about their business. I glanced down at Zuko's sleeping figure, which was wrapped in a warm blanket. Then, I remembered how angry he was when he saw the men, and how loving he looked when he turned back to face me. Exactly how much he cared about me... it was to a degree that I found frightening. He opened his eyes, and I acted on impulse; I just don't know why I did what I did. I leaned forward and kissed him gently on the mouth. "Thank you", I whispered in his ear, then drew back felt my face grow hot, and closed my eyes. I had no idea why I had done this, it was completely spontaneous. What would he say, how would he react? Suddenly, I felt his firm lips pressing against mine. I opened my eyes. "You're welcome." he whispered back, and winked. I blushed

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	8. Mud Fight

_Mud Fight_

Hey, everyone! I'm back! Did you all miss me? _flutters eyelashes. _Never mind… I got this idea by a food fight I had with my boyfriend and best friend. That last chapter was sort of touching, yet sad. Now, I just felt like everyone should have some fun and Zuko should loosen up a bit. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned Avatar: the Last Airbender, what do you think would have happened in the season finale?!

"Come on Katara!" cried Aang, wading into a nearby river "We have to practice our waterbending, otherwise how will I master all the elements? I'll probably forget waterbending while learning to control earth and fire!"

Laughing, Katara stripped down to her white undergarments and splashed her way to a little distance from Aang. "All right, pupil Aang. Here I come!" Then, the waterbender skillfully created a water octopus, and attacked Aang. The airbender countered the attack with a small water whip and sent a tidal wave her way. The battle raged on for a while, until a misdirected shot of water hit Toph squarely on the back of her neck. Turning around, Toph yelled furiously at the two giggling waterbenders. "Hey, watch it!" The water that soaked the earthbender had dripped down to the ground and formed a large mud puddle. Toph stamped the ground and turned her foot sideways. The result was a great deal of mud soaring into the air and splattering Aang and Katara. Still laughing, the two scooped up some more mud from the banks of the river and started throwing them at Toph, who was trying to dodge the attacks. The fight stopped momentarily when Aang started chocking on some mud that found its way to his mouth, but quickly resumed when Aang was breathing again.

Then, a large ball of goo splattered Zuko while he had his back turned to the chaos behind him and was trying to meditate. Everyone froze in panic; the silence was thick in the air. The mud on the Fire Prince's head quickly dried and heated up to form hardened clay, kilned by the angry prince. Then, it fell off, leaving his hair and clothes perfectly clean. He stood up in a fluid movement, turned around, grinning evilly, and shot out a jet of squishy mud. Everyone was at ease again, and the battle raged on. Sokka, tired of trying to catch a dinner, walked into camp, stared for a few seconds at the strange sight before his eyes, then, without further ado, joined in the fight too.

Half an hour later, everyone was lying on the ground smiling, exhausted, and marinated in wet dirt. Zuko sat up and looked at the group. Putting on a serious expression, he asked everyone as the rest got to their feet. "So, now that we've made sure that Aang hasn't forgotten how to waterbend or earthbend, what are we going to do about saving the world?" Everyone fell to the ground again, laughing. The Dragon of the West peered through the bushes, and grinned at seeing his nephew smiling and genuinely happy for the first time in weeks.

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	9. Oceans and Pools

_Oceans and Pools_

I'm back! You cannot escape from me! Muahahahah! Anyways, enough with the evil laugh. This drabble shows what Katara and Zuko are thinking about each other's eyes as the stare at each other. It's kind of weird, but poetic too. Notice the fact that they are connected by their forms. Guess who owns mutant, rabid platypus bears, with Azula dancing the Macarena in the lead? Me! You know the drill; review or be scared physically and mentally for the rest of your pathetic, insignificant lives…

Zuko was drowning in wide oceans of blue moonlight. Her eyes; they're so beautiful, he thought as he gazed at her. They have such a peaceful, deep shade to them, like the ocean in solid form. Their shape is so innocent, and graceful; her large eyes are framed at the top and bottom by thick lashes, then are sided and connected at the sides by curved borders. The way she looks at you, you feel she will never leave you, that she will be there always by your side. You can't possibly look away from her. Her gaze, it's so loving, gentle, yet fierce, mysterious. Yet… there's so much revealed in those startling eyes.

Katara was melting in slanted pools of molten gold. His eyes; they're so stunning, she thought as he gazed at her. They have such a rich, powerful shade to them, like the sun in liquid form. Their shape is so slim, and elegant; his angled eyes are curved at the top and bottom, then the two ends meet together at pointed edge, to form a perfect almond shape. The way he looks at you, it's like there's no one else in the world but him and you. You can't possibly look away from him. His gaze, it's so intense, passionate, yet dreamy, hypnotizing. Yet… there's so much hidden behind those amazing eyes.

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	10. The Allure of Jasmine

_The Allure of Jasmine_

This one is completely safe! This is written in Zuko's journal, and it tells about a sudden urge that his Uncle had one day with Sokka... No, you perverts, not that! Urgh, just… read. AND REVIEW! If you don't the consequences will be most dire.

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender and I'm tired of writing these disclaimers all the time.

"_Everyone started complaining early that morning. I must confess I joined in a bit. For Agni's sake, it was before the crack of dawn that Uncle woke us up. I know I was meant to rise with the sun, but this is ridiculous. And why did he wake us up, you ask me? The answer is obvious. For tea. Yes, tea. I know, shocking, but my Uncle realized, after waking up early in the morning and walking around camp for half and hour, that we ran out of tea the previous evening. It turned out that he hadn't slept until midnight because he kept on thinking he forgot something. Now that he found what was bothering him, he wouldn't take no for an answer; we were going straight to the nearest town to buy a much of the damn drink as we can carry on Appa. Oh joy! I can hardly wait…" _

Later that day…

"_This is worse than I though! The curse is spreading. Not only has Uncle wasted a large sum of money by buying a huge amount of tea, but he let Sokka sample some of that caffeine-infused stuff… needless to say, Sokka got addicted. Then, he had a little chat with Sokka about the various aspects of the culture of tea. Sokka wasn't listening most of the time, but when Uncle told him how drinking tea can help a young man bond with some ladies, Sokka started listening very carefully. Then, realizing that he had caught the warrior's attention, Uncle proceeded to explain how sharing a cup of tea provides the opportunity to talk with a girl and she can decide weather she likes you or not, and thus invite you to dinner, etc…Now all that Sokka can think about is tea. The strange thing is that Sokka invited that new warrior that was traveling with us, Suki, to share a cup with him this afternoon… hmm, I wonder. I would ask him, I really would, but he seems SO embarrassed every time I bring the subject up. Poor guy's in denial"_

Yay! People reviewed! COOKIES FOR EVERYONE!!! _Throws cookies into the crowd_. Now don't forget to review the other stories, or I will unleash the mutant, rabid platypus bears, with Azula dancing the Macarena in the lead. Muahahahah! _Everyone grovels and begs for mercy_. All right, I will spare you from being physically and mentally scared for the rest of your lives… but review. OR ELSE!

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	11. Stitches

_Stitches_

Hello! I'm sorry for not writing stuff about Aang before, but he is not my favorite character, so he is near the bottom of my priorities. _Dodges flying tomatoes_. Okay, okay! I'm sorry, alright? At least now I'm writing about him, and I still have my mutant, rabid platypus bears, with Azula dancing the Macarena in the lead! So back off, and READ!

Disclaimer: I'm sorry about what I said before. I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender, it characters, settings, blah, blah, blah… I'm tired of writing disclaimers, but I still don't want to be sued! NOOOO! Please don't sue me! (Notice the little pun involving the lawsuits mentioned here and the title of the drabble. Sued sound like sewed, which relates to the word "stitches" Amusing, no?)

Aang gasped in pain as the needle pierced the skin on his back and pain shot up his body. He tried to hold still, but the pain was unbearable, and tears had started to roll out of his eyes. Looking back at Sokka, he gritted his teeth in pain, and asked the warrior "Remind me why you're sewing me up instead of having Katara heal me?"

Sokka sighed and replied in a patient voice "Look, Katara's still unconscious from our fight with those Earthbenders, and when she wakes up, she probably will be too tired for a few days to heal you. Iroh took care of some of your wounds with some weird herbs that he found. He did what he could, and although they worked pretty well, that boarcupine still took a chunk out of you. I have to sew the skin together to keep it from splitting further. This way, the worst you'll get is a small scar." Aang nodded. He had asked the same question several times now, but Sokka talking to him helped him concentrate on other things and pay less attention to the agony that was tearing him up.

Just then, Zuko walked into camp with some firewood perched on his shoulder. He looked from Sokka to Aang, then back to Sokka, with an unreadable expression on his face. What was he thinking? Aang wondered. After a small pause, Zuko silently placed the branched down and bent down in front of Aang, then took one of his hands into his. Sokka continued to sew away. Zuko tightly pinched a point on Aang's hand. Aang jerked his hand away, angry at Zuko. "What do you think you're doing!?" he yelled, stunned by the prince's cruelty.

Just then, he realized that he didn't feel any pain on his shoulder. Turning his head around, Aang could see that Sokka was still concentrating, with his brow furrowed, on threading Aang's flesh back together, but he felt nothing. He turned to Zuko, grateful, curious, and excited. "Hey, thanks! How did you do that?" Zuko smiled kindly and answered "Just a little trick I learned from Ty Lee. Hope you feel better." With that he turned around and walked back into the forest. Aang looked on, confused by the prince's sudden consideration.

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	12. True Firebending

_True Firebending_

Hello, everyone! Did you all miss me? This is a sequel to "Stitches". Originally, they were the same piece, but I decided that these two parts have nothing to do with each other, so I took them apart. In this one, please note the change of mood between the first paragraph in Aang's journal and the second one. The first is written right before training, the second one right after.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. I also do not own the delicious coconuts of Jamaica, Ikea, the recipe for smoked seal jerky, Appa's saddle, Oreos, the Becherelle books, "The Raven" by Poe, Age of Mythology, a giant wooden pencil and the League of Shadows (no, wait, I _do_ own those..), Fresh Fields, my house, a big brother, Disneyland, Southeast Asia, United Airlines, all the Nutella sandwiches in the universe, Breyer's strawberry ice cream and many other things! Stick around and see the rest of the list! Or… just read and review! That would be SO much easier…

Why was he all angry and full of grief all the time and trying to kill Aang before he joined them, then suddenly, when he started traveling with Aang's team started acting like his big brother? He turned his questions to Sokka. The older boy had finished sewing, and he had a sad look on his face. He turned away, and told him "Ask Katara. She'll tell you. Or better yet… ask Zuko himself."

"Dear Journal,"

"I asked Katara; I was still afraid to turn to Zuko. She gave me a small section from her diary to read. She said that she saw Sokka read it before, and the next day he was completely comfortable to Zuko and treated him with respect. I was curious, so I read it… now, I wish I hadn't. No one who has such a pure heart deserves so much pain… Then again, maybe it's a good thing I did look at the entry. Otherwise, I might have never truly taken firebending so seriously."

"The first lesson I had with Zuko after reading that entry was completely different from any I had before. I could feel sheer power flowing through my veins. I could feel righteous anger at the men that have caused so much misery not only among the nations, but among their own people, their own families… I could feel the weight of the world resting on my shoulders, yet I had harnessed more than enough strength to carry it. I had fire on my side. Nothing could stop me now. Both kinds of flames, elemental and human, had become my allies."

Nope, nothing else to say!

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	13. I Never Have

_I Never Have_

Warning: this will be unbelievably sad, and there will be character deaths. I love Suki and all, but she has to pass on in order to serve my purposes evil, twisted purposes in this fanfic. I really think its bitter-sweet how all of Sokka's crushes end up dying on him. Also, this is the last drabble in the series! I know, how sad… the goods news is, I write other stuff too!

Sokka sprinted down the polished stone tiles of the corridor, searching frantically for the source of that unearthly shriek, coming from the location of one of the battles against fire Lord Ozai. They had succeeded in breaking into the palace, but the building and its occupants were showing much more resistance anticipated the Gaang, the Kyoshi Warriors, the waterbenders of the South Pole, and the many other fighters that aided the raid of the palace. Cure this Fire Palace! Sokka thought frantically, running to the aid of the voice's owner. Why did the Fire Monarchs have to make them so damn big? It's like a maze in here. How could anyone possibly live in a place like this? Suddenly, he stopped at the entrance of the abandoned chamber he just entered. There, lying at the base of a jade column was Suki. Arrows pierced her in several places, including her shoulder, her side, and her thigh.

Sokka fought tears. Blood was gushing out of the wounded Kyoshi Warrior's flesh; a puddle of the scarlet liquid was spreading out in a puddle around her slumped, immobile form, staining her clothes a dull brown. Rushing to his love's side, Sokka kneeled by her, gently shaking her shoulders.

"Suki!" he whispered frantically "Suki, can you hear me?"

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Sokka?" she whispered hoarsely "Did we win?"

Sokka nodded "Almost. We took down the guards and the royal sentinels. All we have to do now is find Ozai and the rest of the parliament.

Suki, nodded, relieved, and started coughing into her hand. When she took her hand away, Sokka was shocked to see that it was covered in blood.

He groaned "Oh my goodness, Suki, what did they do to you? We need to get you out of here! It's okay, the rest can handle the government; you need to get to a healer, immediately!"

She shook her head silently, still coughing blood. Sokka started shrieking "What do you mean, no? Even you aren't stubborn enough to not realize that you need a healer!"

Suki stopped coughing and answered hoarsely "No, Sokka. I'm not going to make it… I can just feel it. It's a warrior's knowledge, in my blood; my time has come."

Sokka growled "No! I refuse to let you die! I don't care if the gods themselves have arranged it to be so! I'm not going to lose you, like I've lost Mom, like I've lost Yue…"

Suki gave him a weak smile "It's okay. I don't mind. It's an honorable death. I… it's just that I'm going to… to miss you."

The words sounded so final. Tears started pouring out of Sokka's eyes as he hugged her to him, regardless of the steady flow of blood. He willed himself to be strong, if only for his loved one, but to no avail. All of his crushed hopes, his dreams, his love, his potential future with Suki… they condensed in his cerulean eyes from meaningless vapor to the form of hot, salty tears, streaming downwards, no boundaries to them.

"No… Suki, please don't leave me again." he whispered into her coppery hair, its once sleek ends matted with dried blood.

"Don't worry Sokka, I never will... and I never have." These words slipped from her lips in a little gust of breath, her last. As they traveled to her weeping lover, they carried with them her life, her soul, her emotions, and her past. These words carried so much more than Sokka ever realized they did.

Her eyes glazed over.

I'm sorry for my lack of modesty, but I really think that's really beautiful; my best drabble in this series. Please review and give me your opinion, including any way that I can improve the stories. Again, this is my last one. If you liked these, make sure you read my other works!

Truly yours, she writes with fire in her heart.

xXx Lunar Eclipse xXx


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